13 “Twits” Who Will Change Your Perspective on Reality

Is there profundity to be found on Twitter? Indeed there is. The service plays host to some real gems; seemingly off-the wall users who get inside your head and challenge you to think differently.

Some of them are big names like CTO of Cisco Padmasree Warrior and Web 2.0 guru Tim O'Reilly, with followings in the six digits. Many of the best tweets, however, come from regular folk who have something worthwhile to say. Here are just 13 with a penchant for science and technology that make me think in new ways. In picking them, I’ve tried to stick to three simple rules:

- Do their tweets challenge and expand my view of the world? - Are they noisy tweeters? Anyone who tweets ten to the dozen is out.- Do they offer a glimpse of their inner selves?

These are some of the “twits” who are helping me change my perspective on reality:

1. Charles Darwin

Back-story: @cdarwin is one of a number of historic characters posting on Twitter. His tweets are elegant, revealing and insightful. Based on Charles Darwin’s book Voyage of the Beagle and his personal diaries, they document the great scientist’s travels as a young man. Surprisingly, they often shine a searing light on life in today’s world.

Follow for: A uniquely relevant perspective on the modern world from an unlikely source.

2. Chris Anderson

Back-story: Chris runs TED (Technology, Education, Design), the global conference that brings together people from these worlds in an explosive melding of ideas. His tweets tap into a wealth of interesting people and perspectives.

Follow for: A front row seat on new ideas, innovation, and creativity.

3. Laura S. Marshall

Back-story: An editor at Laurin Publishing, Laura is a mine of information on breaking science and technology stories—especially if they have anything to do with powerful lasers and humongous telescopes. Not sure how much editing she manages to do, but she tweets a treat!

Follow for: Good honest science coverage in 140 characters or less.

4. Marcus du Sautoy

Back-story: Marcus is the grandly titled “Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science” at the University of Oxford in the UK—a post he recently took over from the well-known Richard Dawkins. He has the knack of making really complicated stuff understandable, as readers of his Times Online Sexy Maths column will attest. And he can do it in 140 characters. Impressive!

Follow for: Science and mathematics enlightenment.

5. Lord Drayson

Back-story: I still can’t get over this: The British government Minister for Science and Innovation, a Peer of the Realm and a racing driver—and he tweets. Mainly about racing admittedly, but there’s the occasional nugget of science and technology gold there too.

Follow for: A top government official’s perspective on science, innovation and the Le Mans 24 hours.

6. Joerg Heber

Back-story: The London-based senior editor for the scientific journal Nature Materials, Joerg has mastered the art of clearly explaining science to those who don’t have PhDs in physics. Or wear lab coats.

Follow for: Insightful tweets on science and technology that anyone can appreciate.

7. Karen James

Back-story: A self-confessed Darwin groupie, Karen works at the Natural History Museum and is heavily involved in attempting to rebuild the Beagle: The ship that carried Charles Darwin around the world. Her tweets will give you an unashamedly Darwinian view of life—entertaining and provocative.

9. Alexis Madrigal

Back-story: Wired.com’s energy and science staff writer, Alexis is also working on a book about the history of green tech in America. Alexis is your man when it comes to energy and climate. He’s a goldmine on what’s relevant now, with the added bonus of historical perspectives on ideas that were once dismissed as lunatic/unnecessary/impractical.

Follow for: Everything that’s big and important in energy and climate change.

10. Eric Berger

Back-story: A science reporter for the Houston Chronicle, Eric also blogs and tweets extensively. He writes about science stuff (mainly), and manages to create a context that allows you to appreciate the implications of what’s happening.

Follow for: A taste of what new science and technology means for you.

11. David Bradley

Back-story: A science writer who gets social media. As well as writing for the Sciencebase blog, David maintains a growing list of “scientific Twitter friends”—invaluable! He’s also more than likely to reply if you tweet him.

Follow for: Interactive discussions on science and technology.

12. Arjun Basu

Back-story: Arjun is my ringer in this list—not a scitech guy, but someone I couldn’t resist including anyway. Provocative, challenging, moving; his short stories in 140 characters are essential reading. Basu’s written more than 500.

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